Supreme Court Returns To Gun Rights For 1st Time In 9 Years

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is taking up its first gun rights case in nine years, a challenge to New York City's prohibition on carrying a licensed, locked and unloaded handgun outside the city limits.

The court's decision Tuesday to take on the appeal filed by three New York residents and New York's National Rifle Association affiliate could signal a revived interest in gun rights by a more conservative court. The case won't be argued until October.

The challengers are represented by prominent lawyer Paul Clement, who has been urging the justices to elaborate on the extent of constitutional gun rights the Supreme Court declared in decisions in 2008 and 2010. The court had previously rejected several appeals.

Clement says the court should "reaffirm that those decisions and the constitutional text have consequences."